This Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced on Twitter that he had been in contact with Prime Minister in waiting Imran Khan, and had invited him to Kabul. He added that Khan had agreed to visit “very soon”. Ghani expressed his desire to work together with Pakistan’s new leadership so that they could “overcome the past”. Considering how bitter things have been between the two countries because of cross border terrorism as well as other complexities in the region, this will not be easy.
For starters, Imran will have to seek policy input from security establishment, which has historically handled foreign policy when it comes to Afghanistan and India. As such, Imran Khan will have to formulate his government’s policy towards Kabul with the full endorsement of the national security institutions. Furthermore, Khan would need to move beyond his populist anti-American rhetoric, as the United States is the biggest player in Afghanistan.
The meeting between American diplomats — including State department’s senior South Asia diplomat Alice Wells — and Taliban representatives in Doha last week has demonstrated that the prospect of creating real peace in Afghanistan could just be around the corner. The ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban in June showed that lasting peace in the war-torn country is possible and this is an opportunity that cannot be wasted. This makes it crucial that security forces on this side of the border make sure that no insurgents are able to plan and execute attacks against Kabul, especially in the immediate future.
It would take a few more weeks for Imran Khan to form the government and get into the serious business of governance. In the meantime, the goodwill by Afghan head of state is a good omen and should be welcomed. The people in both countries need peace and development. Given that the PM elect enjoys good relations with the establishment and has a popular mandate, we can hope for a change in foreign policy too. *
Published in Daily Times, July 30th 2018.
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